To track some personally noteworthy events, observations and thoughts, letting them age and savor/regret them again a long time later.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

American Muslims are worried.

(Left, from Sunday Times today)

American Muslims are worried. I wonder how did the enemy grew from Al Qaeda to become Islam? I have received countless anti-Islam emails from Americans. Perhaps they have been influenced and now we are seeing critical mass.

We also need to explain why these terrorist groups find it so easy to attract recruits. What sort of Islam are they fighting for? Why is it even called Islam?

There was a window when the moderates (what is a moderate in this context?) could have mounted as vigorous a communication strategy against Al Qaeda, but they didn't. The nature of Islamic leadership may be partly to blame. Unless it arises spontaneously from the ground, it wasn't likely to happen. I hope the moderates will now see this as the moment of emergency to rise to the occasion to explain themselves.

To me as an observer, moderates Muslim are quiet and practice personal Islam. On the other hand the believers of Political Islam are zealous and even believe that history is on their side. They are out to change the world.

Let's stop here and start reversing the process, otherwise we might also see a rise of Political Christianity. Yes, I also receive many emails about returning America to its Christian roots. This is odd. I always thought the State and Religion were separate. This is how I explain it to myself. At the founding of America, most of its citizens were Christians. This gave it a Christian character. It was social and not political.

America, we all, need to understand Islam better. All this confusion is not helping. People stop using their heads and start responding emotionally with all the wrong ideas about each other.